Wander Lord

Interesting on art, nature, people, history

Sunflowers – Golden Giants

Sunflowers - Golden Giants

Sunflowers – Golden Giants

Sunflower is one of the largest and most splendid of flowers. It is valuable for its economic uses as well as for its beauty. The sunflower gets its name from the way it turns its head from east to west to follow the Sun, and its bloom looks like the Sun. The Latin name, Helianthus annum, is derived from the Greek words meaning “sun” and “flower” and from the Latin word meaning “annual.”
The flower usually grows to about two meters in height.
The bloom of a sunflower has two parts. The central disk flowers packed closely together are dark. When pollinated by insects, these smaller flowers develop into the seeds. The flowers around the outside are called ray flowers and they are golden yellow. A disk can vary from 5 to 50 centimeters in diameter and may produce from 100 to 8,000 seeds.

Sunflower leaves can be used to feed animals. The flowers produce a yellow dye. Sunflower seeds are a good source of protein and vitamin E. Milled seeds can be used to make bread, and pressed seeds yield oil, which is used for cooking and is an ingredient in shampoo, lip balm, hand cream, body lotion, and baby-care products. It is even used in the manufacture of industrial motor oil.
Sunflowers were first grown in North and South America. After Spanish explorers took the plant across the Atlantic in 1510 C.E., it quickly spread throughout Western Europe. In 1698 the Russian Czar Peter the Great took sunflower seeds to Russia from the Netherlands. Ironically, at the end of the 19th century, the sunflower was reintroduced to North America by Russian immigrants. Early settlers to the continent had not continued cultivating sunflowers as the Indians had. Today they are grown in many parts of the world.
At first, the sunflower was considered just an ornament for botanical and private gardens. But by about the middle of the 18th century, its seeds came to be viewed as a delicacy. People also used its leaves and blossoms to make a tea for combating fever.
In Chinese symbolism this flower means longevity and has magical powers.

Sunflowers – Golden Giants

Attractive sunflowers

Attractive sunflowers

Bird is eating sunflower seeds

Bird is eating sunflower seeds

Butterfly on sunflower

Butterfly on sunflower

Charming sunflowers

Charming sunflowers

Graceful sunflower

Graceful sunflower

Great sunflower

Great sunflower

It Follows the Sun

It Follows the Sun

Lovely sunflowers

Lovely sunflowers

Sunflower field

Sunflower field

Wonderful sunflowers

Wonderful sunflowers

Sunflowers in paintings

Annenkov

Annenkov

Anthony van Dyck. Self-portrait with a sunflower. 1633

Anthony van Dyck. Self-portrait with a sunflower. 1633

Beautiful sunflowers

Beautiful sunflowers

Bouquet of Sunflowers, 1880. Claude Monet

Bouquet of Sunflowers, 1880. Claude Monet

Charles E. Burchfield. Moon through Young Sunflowers, 1916

Charles E. Burchfield. Moon through Young Sunflowers, 1916

Chinese painting

Chinese painting

David Burliuk. Bouquet of sunflowers

David Burliuk. Bouquet of sunflowers

Diego Rivera. Muchacha con Girasoles (Girl with Sunflowers)

Diego Rivera. Muchacha con Girasoles (Girl with Sunflowers)

Egon Schiele. Faded sunflowers

Egon Schiele. Faded sunflowers

Emil Nodier. Sunflowers

Emil Nodier. Sunflowers

Eve Riser-Roberts. Van Gogh's Cat. Art parody of a bad cat chewing van Gogh's sunflowers

Eve Riser-Roberts. Van Gogh’s Cat. Art parody of a bad cat chewing van Gogh’s sunflowers

Fedot Sychkov. Among sunflowers. 1928

Fedot Sychkov. Among sunflowers. 1928

Gauguin. Sunflowers

Gauguin. Sunflowers

Gerhard Glick. Sunflowers

Gerhard Glick. Sunflowers

Gildaro Antezana. Sunflower Dance

Gildaro Antezana. Sunflower Dance

Girls With Sunflowers. F. A. Kaulbach

Girls With Sunflowers. F. A. Kaulbach

Gorgeous sunflowers

Gorgeous sunflowers

Gustave Caillebotte. Sunflowers Garden At Petit Gennevilliers

Gustave Caillebotte. Sunflowers Garden At Petit Gennevilliers

Henri Matisse. Vase of Sunflowers, 1898

Henri Matisse. Vase of Sunflowers, 1898

J. K. Potter. Vincent - an usual take on Van Gogh's style

J. K. Potter. Vincent – an usual take on Van Gogh’s style

James Tissot. Behold He Standeth Behind Our Wall. 1894

James Tissot. Behold He Standeth Behind Our Wall. 1894

John George Brown. The sunflower girl

John George Brown. The sunflower girl

M. Anker. Girl with sunflowers, 1889

M. Anker. Girl with sunflowers, 1889

Magnificent sunflowers

Magnificent sunflowers

Maria Pavlova

Maria Pavlova

Mary Jane Q Cros

Mary Jane Q Cros

Nicolai Fechin. Sunflowers, 1934

Nicolai Fechin. Sunflowers, 1934

Niels, Niklaus Fristrup

Niels, Niklaus Fristrup

Paul Gauguin. Portrait of Vincent van Gogh drawing sunflowers, 1888

Paul Gauguin. Portrait of Vincent van Gogh drawing sunflowers, 1888

Portrait of Suzanne Hoschede with Sunflowers, 1890. Claude Monet

Portrait of Suzanne Hoschede with Sunflowers, 1890. Claude Monet

Pretty sunflowers

Pretty sunflowers

Sir Kenelm Digby by Anthony Van Dyck, 1635

Sir Kenelm Digby by Anthony Van Dyck, 1635

Sophia Becker-Leber

Sophia Becker-Leber

Stunning sunflowers

Stunning sunflowers

Sunflowers on the Banks of the Seine, 1886 by Gustave Caillebotte

Sunflowers on the Banks of the Seine, 1886 by Gustave Caillebotte

Tomаs Hiepes. Vase of Flowers, 1643

Tomаs Hiepes. Vase of Flowers, 1643

Vincent Van Gogh. Ripe sunflower

Vincent Van Gogh. Ripe sunflower

Vincent Van Gogh. Sunflowers

Vincent Van Gogh. Sunflowers